Patios, Driveways & Stairs

Imagine entertaining in a lovely space such as this.

There is nothing like stepping outside your home out onto a beautiful stone patio. While the weather permits it acts like another room of your home. A gathering place for friends and family, or just a nice space to relax from the stresses of the day. Patio design is a specialty of ours at Timber & Stone and we love building them! No matter if it's just a simple set of steps leading to a flat patio or a raised outdoor room with all the amenities we can build it for you.

The growing trend for the paver market in the last few years has been the use of very large pieces, considered slabs ( due to surface are to depth aspect ratio). These large pieces are intended to mimic natural stone. Manufacturers offer a multitude of sizes, textures and colors to choose from. Tumbling and hammer facing adds to your choices. Don't worry we will educate you on the pros and cons of each and help you narrow it down. Natural stone is also very popular here in the northeast especially Bluestone Flagging in a formal Ashlar pattern or a more organic broken flag style. Endless features can be built into your design if you choose man-made or natural stone. Examples are Seating walls, planter beds, pillars, fire tables, water features, kitchen islands, storage solutions, firepits, pizza ovens, fireplaces and much more. These add -ons transform a simple patio to a comfy outdoor room that reflects your individual style and taste. At Timber & Stone we can also incorporate a low maintenance shade structure like a pergola or weather proof pavilion if your want to enjoy your patio, outdoor room, or kitchen in any weather. You can find happy customers in towns and cities like Clifton Park ,Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls if you need a reference. Low voltage traditional and L.E.D. lighting systems can be installed to get all the benefits of your space at night. The ambient accent lighting creates dramatic shadows and effects as well as highlight the stones texture and warmth.

When we work with paverbricks or natural stone we always try to get creative and squeeze as much as possible from your budget. For example just choosing a slightly different color and/or texture in a border or mosaic inlay can create an interesting effect. We like to do inlays to create the throw rug effect too. We are not afraid to mix different styles or in some cases even different brands to get that perfect look. We will also make sure our clients choose a solid performing system for their application and although color choices are subjective sway them from tacky decisions. My 20 years experience in the Hardscape industry facilitates this skill.

Let's talk about why you may have chosen pavers over concrete (stamped or plain) in the first place. In my humble opinion the pavers are much classier, warmer, and realistic looking (more like real stone) than stamped concrete or stamped asphalt. The paverbrick system is designed and engineered to move a little to deal with freeze and thaw cycles we experience around here. Poured concrete in most cases will always crack and in the worst embarrassing spots it seems. The ability to choose a water shedding type paver system or a permeable one is a great advantage, and lets also think about strength. Individual pavers are kiln baked after pouring netting a p.s.i. rating of 8,000-10,000 on average. I believe what comes out of truck for your average patio pour is about 4500p.s.i. A harder denser paver will hold up to the elements better. I've only seen a couple asphalt patios and they weren't pretty…lol. The Polymeric stabilizing sand (poly sand) we use in the paver joints acts as a sticky flexible grout and works great for deterring weed growth. Insects like ants are less likely to nest too and the sand will not wash out in heavy watershed or wind. If your considering stamped concrete let me tell you about a client who went that route and was not happy. We installed a Firepit, several pillars, a seating wall and steps for a woman in Wilton N.Y. She opted not to go with pavers to save a little money. The other contractor not only screwed the color up but stamped too deep and left deep jpoints that according to home owner were uncomfortable to walk on barefooted but also caught anything that fell from surrounding trees and shrubbery. She confided with me that she wished she had chosen pavers. If your patio is near a pool or connected you may want pavers or natural stone due to the option to be able to remove and relay if you ever have issues with the infrastructure (water and electric lines running below). With concrete it can be messy. Cutting and jackhammering to perform excavation and forget about getting the new concrete to match.

If you don't care for pavers and are more of a purist then natural stone is probably the best option for you. Our natural stone patio designs are found in places like Latham, Clifton Park, Malta, Ballston Spa and Saratoga Springs for year round residences. Those who are lucky enough to have camps in places like Saratoga lake, Lake George, Brant or Friends Lake often go with natural stone patios althouth pavers usually work good here too. Granite followed by Bluestone is the most popular choice, Limestone can be used too but is a little rough. Creating seating and steps with large boulder slabs is another great idea and what camp is complete without a firepit? We also can mix the man-made stuff with the natural too create stunning hybrid effects. A quick scan through our portfolio will show many examples.

I'm not going the spend a lot of time on steps and stairs.These jobs are almost always one of a kind custom deals. We can build steps, stairs and stoops out of almost any hardscape material. Natural or man-made or a mix of the two styles. We always try to keep them low maintenance drylaid units. Timber & Stone has built hundreds of steps, stoops and landings from modular and natural stone. The keys to a great job are Meeting local codes, keeping safety in mind and making sure the step system flows with the rest of landscape or hardscape. Our steps will provide you with years of maintenance free use just as they have for the last 14 years for clients in Albany to the Adirondacks ,Stillwater and Galway and all points between.

In short please call or e-mail if you have any questions what so ever. I love educating people on Patio Design whether you hire our firm or not.